Best Cheap Maternity Clothes

Finding out you're expecting inevitably means a slow but steady dash to round up an assortment of cheap maternity clothes. You'll only be wearing these garments for a few months, so there's no reason to splurge. But that doesn't mean your new wardrobe will be lacking in style or quality. When making our picks for best cheap maternity clothes we considered variety, fit, and comfort in addition to price.

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Our Top Pick

Old Navy Maternity Clothes Review

Our Picks

Old Navy Maternity Clothes Review

The expert Old Navy maternity clothes review at Parents.com says the brand's maternity jeans, like the Full-Panel Flare-Leg style, are made of the right material blend for comfort while still holding their size and shape even after numerous wearings and washings. Concerns about sizing (and the impossibility of trying on items with online orders) are allayed by pregnant women who commented at Baby Center, where Old Navy maternity clothes reviews note that garments run true to size; in other words, buy the size you would normally wear and the maternity version should fit. Mothers-to-be also praise the selection and styling. A review posted at Yahoo! Voices not only enthuses about the comfort and fit of Old Navy maternity apparel but also gives a shout-out to the large selection of fashionable and cheap options.

Old Navy's maternity section boasts about 30 styles of maternity jeans and 12 different T-shirt colors, including those with stripes. The retailer sells other types of maternity clothes as well, including active wear, blouses, outerwear, dresses, skirts, and leggings. Not all Old Navy stores maintain a maternity section but the website displays an wide array of choices.

Many reviewers report that Old Navy is their go-to stop for maternity clothing and note that online shopping is easy and fast when brick-and-mortar shopping is not available. These budget maternity clothes are generally true to size, fashionable, and comfortable. For just a few months of wear, what more do you need?

Motherhood Maternity Clothes Review

It's all about selection at Motherhood Maternity, according to reviews. As Top Ten Reviews puts it, the lineup of maternity clothes includes an impressive variety of stylish basics so that every expectant mother can find something that suits her pregnancy needs for home, work, and play. The product selection is wide and deep, affordable, and high quality, and the jeans in particular earn high praise in Motherhood Maternity reviews. For example, mothers-to-be who posted comments at Amazon report that the Secret Fit Belly Super Stretch Boot Cut Maternity Jeans are a perfect fit -- the right length (even for some women with long legs) and with a belly panel that's snug without being too tight. (The seamless Secret Fit Belly panel is a proprietary feature in pants, skirts, and jeans).

Motherhood Maternity is a one-stop-shop destination for pregnancy apparel. The site boasts an amazing 130-plus styles of maternity jeans (about two-thirds in the Cheapism price range) as well as hundreds of tops, including tanks and tees, shirts and blouses, tunics, and sweaters. In addition, the online retailer carries pants and shorts, skirts, dresses (including four evening styles), lingerie, sleepwear, hoodies and yoga pants, coats and scarves, basics for work, swimwear, and more; plus and petite sizes are also available, as are tops for nursing moms.

The selection of maternity clothes at Motherhood Maternity may seem daunting but harried shoppers frustrated by the limited offerings at brick-and-mortar stores will dive right in. Attractive prices and styling, and good comfort and fit are also attributes that Motherhood Maternity reviews consider appealing.

Liz Lange for Target Maternity Clothes Review

Target's line of maternity clothes bears the name of designer Liz Lange, and reviews are strong. The offerings earn high praise at She Speaks, where Target maternity clothes reviews gush over the comfortable and good fitting maternity jeans that don't look like maternity jeans at all; several reviewers report wearing the jeans even though they aren't pregnant. The basic V-neck maternity T-shirts are also spot-on, according to Target maternity clothes reviews. At the retailer's site purchasers remark on the ultra-comfortable shirts that do a fine, and welcome, job of hiding undergarments and also fit in a flattering way while leaving room for growing bellies.

When it comes to selection, the maternity line at Target is a bit thin. There are only five styles of maternity jeans available online, while the basic tee that expectant women rave about comes in just seven colors (black, red, white, grey, plum, turquoise, and orange). The retailer also carries a small assortment of dressy and casual pants, dresses, sweaters, and lingerie in maternity styles, but for outerwear and office attire -- not to mention variety -- you'll need to look elsewhere.

Although Target definitely does not offer the wide array of inexpensive maternity clothes available at other online sites, the items themselves go over well with reviewers. Both the maternity jeans and basic maternity T-shirts are such big hits that women report buying multiple colors and sizes to add variety to their wardrobe through the pregnant months and even those few beyond.

Walmart Maternity Clothes Review

For a retailer that's all things to many frugal consumers, the takeaway from Walmart maternity clothes reviews is disheartening. One post at Cafe Mom reports that the maternity section in the local Walmart isn't organized and the clothes are mixed in with non-maternity items, forcing shoppers to sort through the chaff to find the desired garment; another reviewer notes that her Walmart doesn't stock any maternity clothes at all. Other Walmart maternity clothes reviews assert that the quality seems chintzy although passable. The fit of Walmart maternity clothes takes a shellacking in reviews, however. Both the Faded Glory Maternity V-Neck Tee and the Planet Motherhood Demi-Panel 5-Pocket Boot Cut Jeans garner poor marks in Walmart maternity clothes reviews for deficiencies that run the gamut from a baggy, unflattering fit to flimsy construction that falls apart almost immediately to an uncomfortable waistband.

Walmart offers a small selection of low-priced maternity clothes on its website -- 21 maternity jeans styles and 19 tees/shirt/tank tops, for example -- but the stock of maternity apparel seems quite limited for a vendor with such an enormous presence at the economy end of the retail market. Expectant mothers will find some active wear, pants and tops, and a few dresses, but only two styles of shorts, one swimsuit, and no outerwear; work-appropriate garments are scarce.

Filling out your maternity wardrobe from Walmart would seem to be a challenging task in terms of selection, style, fit, and quality. We identified better options for maternity clothing that will keep you on budget and in style.

Buying Guide

Cheap Maternity Clothes Buying Guide

We limited our search for the best cheap maternity apparel to T-shirts and jeans and settled on Old Navy (basic tees start at $10; jeans start at $20) and Motherhood Maternity (basic tees start at $13; jeans start at $20) as the premier sources. Claiming second place is Liz Lange for Target (basic tees start at $10; jeans start at $25). The offerings at Walmart can't compete despite a starting price of $12 for both jeans and a two-pack of V-neck T-shirts given consumer gripes about quality and comfort.

Like regular-sized clothing, maternity apparel is priced at all levels. So-called designer brands start at about $70 for a pair of maternity jeans compared with budget versions that go for as little as $10 and top out at about $40. Good cheap maternity T-shirts can be had for $10 while upscale maternity tees kick in at about $45. Such price spreads extend across the entire spectrum of maternity wear and are relatively wider or narrower depending on the item in question.

When it comes to evaluating what you get with cheap maternity clothes, fit is everything. No mother-to-be wants to buy a pair of maternity jeans only to have them stretch out three times their size after one wearing; here, we found that Old Navy maternity wear stands out for good fit and shape retention. Selection is another important variable. If you're buying basic pieces you want at least several color/print options; with well over 100 (yes, you read that right) jeans styles and washes, Motherhood Maternity gets the nod for selection. Liz Lange for Target offers a smaller collection but earns high marks in consumer reviews for fit and comfort, especially its T-shirts -- a must-have staple for any pregnant woman.

Most experts, like those at The Bump, buying a few cheap maternity clothes to be mixed and matched, dressed up and dressed down, to get you through the pregnancy. Not sure which items to buy? BabyCenter provides a good list of essentials.

Maternity Clothes Selection

When shopping for cheap maternity clothes, a decent selection is critical, especially if you're picking out simple basics for mix and match -- the more color and style options to choose among, the easier it is to assemble attractive outfits from a limited number of items.

As noted above, Motherhood Maternity is a motherlode for selection, with about 130 maternity jeans options, including capris, boot cut, skinny jeans, flare jeans, jeggings, plus sizes and petite sizes, and more than 150 T-shirt styles with sleeves (and without) of varying lengths. The proliferation of styles is displayed on the vendor's website and has earned a glowing review by Top Ten Reviews. The report comments on the brand's wide variety of fashionable basics in sizes that should fit most every woman.

Old Navy, another best source for the best cheap maternity apparel, stocks a smaller variety but puts in a good showing with about 30 jeans styles and 12 colors of short-sleeved maternity V-neck T-shirts, including striped. One reviewer who posted at Modern Mommyhood is wild about Old Navy's cheap maternity clothes -- the jeans in particular -- for their contemporary aesthetic.

The Target lineup from Liz Lange currently includes only three styles of maternity jeans and seven colors for its short-sleeved, V-neck maternity T-shirt. Walmart carries 24 jeans styles and eight T-shirt options (tees come in packs of two so you really have only four choices). Shoppers consider Walmart's maternity clothes just so-so, according to comments posted at Cafe Mom, where users report that the maternity section in the stores is pretty thin and disorganized (and absent entirely at some locations).

Maternity Clothes Reviews

To assess fit and comfort -- in the case of maternity clothes these terms are stand-ins for performance -- we turned to maternity clothes reviews posted online.

Maternity Clothes Fit

Fit is hard to gauge because (duh) every woman is shaped differently and perceives the fit of clothing differently. With maternity jeans, for example, the elastic panel that accommodates a growing belly comes in several styles (a full panel sits over the entire belly, a demi panel hits the belly part way up the underside, and a no panel sits under the belly), each of which fit some women better than others, sometimes a matter of personal preference and sometimes depending on the stage of pregnancy. What most consumers seem to agree on is that maternity clothing should fit much like regular clothing with obvious allowance for ongoing changes in their bodies. While it's near impossible to find unanimity on the issue of fit, we read enough maternity clothes reviews to arrive at some conclusions.

Old Navy earns high marks in maternity clothes reviews at The Bump, where one user simply says the items are cheap and fit well. Others agree, adding that even if the nearest Old Navy doesn't offer a maternity section, ordering online is super easy, delivery is fast, and returns are hassle free. An expert review by Parents.com says Old Navy's Full-Panel Flared-Leg Jeans (starting at $30) fit well and hold their shape. Fit is likewise lauded in reviews of Motherhood Maternity's Secret Fit Belly Jeans, like the Petite Signature Pocket Boot Cut (starting at $30), which garners mostly five stars at Amazon; one post says they suit a not-skinny body, another says they're flattering, others say the belly panel is snug but not constricting and leaves room to grow, and an octogenarian reports they're the only jeans that accommodate her senior shape.

Purchasers virtually gush over the Liz Lange for Target Maternity Short-Sleeve V-neck Basic Tee (starting at $10) in comments posted at Target. The maternity shirt earns a solid five stars from reviewers who write that they're beyond comfortable and fit perfectly -- not too tight across the belly and with sufficient stretch. One review points out that even in the lighter colors the material is thick enough to obscure bra straps and belly bands.

Maternity clothes reviews for Walmart are far less affirming. One post at Yahoo! Voices advises against buying Walmart maternity clothes online because the fit is so peculiar that you really need to try them on first. On the Walmart website consumers grouse that the Faded Glory Maternity V-neck Tee (starting at $12/2-pack) is shapeless and way too large; one reviewer likens the user experience to wearing a muumuu while another simply says the garment is unflattering.

Maternity Clothes Comfort

Pregnancy can make a woman uncomfortable in many ways, and maternity clothes shouldn't add to that. Reviews indicate that our top choices meet the comfort standard.

In a maternity clothes review on Yahoo! Voices the Secret Fit Belly Signature Pocket Boot Cut Jeans from Motherhood Maternity earn an enthusiastic nod from the writer who says as soon as she slid them on she knew they were different and more comfortable than others (even regular jeans) she has worn; comments posted elsewhere echo the sentiment. Another post on Yahoo! Voices says Old Navy is the source of a favorite maternity outfit, which is described as extremely comfortable, as well as fashionable and well fitting. At the Old Navy website the Maternity Slub-Knit V-neck Tees(starting at $15) garner praise for being soft, easy to wear, and of a quality that lasts. Indeed, many reviewers report pretty much living in these T-shirts while pregnant.

The line of maternity jeans by Liz Lange for Target -- the Blue-Band Boot Cut Denim Jeans (starting at $25) are one example -- is described in maternity clothes reviews on She Speaks as extremely comfortable. Reviewers rave about the comfort during and right after pregnancy, when normal clothes don't fit yet; one reviewer is particularly taken by their comfort and fashion styling. The only downfall of Target's maternity offerings, commenters note, is the limited selection.

Walmart strikes out on the comfort front with Planet Motherhood Demi-Panel 5-Pocket Boot Cut Jeans (starting at $14). Maternity clothes reviews at Walmart complain about the waistband cutting into the belly, which causes discomfort. There are also several reports about the waistband coming apart after the first wash, and in one case, an hour into the first wearing.